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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Tina’s 2015 Top 10

My Top 10 products of the year!

It’s time for the fourth annual roundup of my Top 10
sketching products of the year! In addition to being one of my most-read posts
each year, it’s also one of my favorites to put together because I enjoy
assessing which tools and materials have served my sketching needs best this
year.

Last year, six of
the 10 products on my list were repeats from previous years; in fact, four had
remained in the Top 10 for the three years that I’d been making the list. That
says to me that, despite my penchant for experimenting with new materials (especially
pens!), I stick with what I like as long as it’s still working for me.

That’s why it surprises me to see that several new products
made it onto the list this year, including a couple of dark horses (and therefore several had to drop off). Only three
items were repeats from last year. I hope that means that while I’m loyal to
products that work, I’m also not in a rut of using the same ol’ stuff out of
habit.

I was torn about taking some items off the list because they
still serve me well, if only sporadically (like the truly amazing Pilot Petit1, which has been inked up
continuously for more than a year, gets used only every few months while I’m
fitness walking, yet still writes immediately as soon as I uncap it). But my
selection criteria change from year to year, and this year I put more emphasis
on versatility (especially during
travel when I try to keep my bag as light as possible) and convenience (allowing me to
sketch faster or more easily and therefore more often). I did, however, want to
make room for those surprising dark horses that haven’t been in my bag long. (They
may turn out to be novelties rather than keepers; only time will tell.)

12/11/15 Sailor Naginata fude pen,
Sailor Jentle Doyou ink

Items marked with * are repeats from last year.
To see how the list has changed – or not – over the years, please review2012,2013and2014. The photo reference numbers do not indicate ranking.

2.Sailor Naginata Fude de Mannen. Unsurprisingly, this pen performs as beautifully as I had
always hoped a “grail” pen would, once I got to it on my Epic Search. It’s gratifying to find a pen that works so well and
also feels so comfortable in the hand. Of course, by the time I acquired it, I
had been trained well on fude nib operation by the Naginata’s various fude brothers
– the Profit, Clear Candy and original “calligraphy” pen – so they deserve mention here (indeed, I still keep one or two other
fudes in my bag when I need more ink colors), but only the Big Daddy is on the
Top 10. (You’re wondering if my new Sailor Cross Point, still on its honeymoon with me, tried to wiggle its way onto
this list? Of course it did. But even I wouldn’t put a pen on the list when it’s
still on its honeymoon. Let’s see if it’s here next year.)

3. Pilot fountain pen with Posting nib. This remarkable nib makes one of the finest lines of any
pen I’ve used, and yet it is also smoother than many with a broader point – and
certainly smoother than any with an equivalent nib size. Being both smooth and
extra fine put this pen on my list. It’s now my go-to pen for containing
waterproof Platinum Carbon Black ink (see No. 5 below) because its fine line is
unobtrusive with watercolors.

(“Midsummer Dark Brown”) is a cooler, darker
brown-black that washes to a velvety sable. I’ve been using it almost
exclusively in my Sailor Naginata fude (see No. 2 above).

5. *Platinum
Carbon Black ink. This waterproof ink is the only product that
has been on my Top 10 all four years, and for good reason: It has never let me
down. It dries almost instantly, is completely waterproof and has never clogged
any pen. At various times I triedDeAtramentis Document,Super
5and Sailor Nano Kiwa-Guro
waterproof inks, but none was as consistently reliable as Platinum. This year I’ve
also included Platinum Carbon cartridges in the photo because they’ve proven to
be my best back-up plan (along with a lightweight Platinum Preppy) when I travel.

8. Kuretake (“No. 13”) fountain pen style brush pen. Although I’ve named this particular model
because it’s the one I’ve been carrying lately, I’d be hard-pressed to say why
I prefer it over any other real brush pen I’ve tried (and I’ve tried quite a few). All of the Japanese brush pens are similar
(the synthetics are just as good as the more expensive real-animal-hair
versions), and I use them interchangeably. One major advantage Kuretake has
over some other brands is that it accommodates waterproof Platinum Carbon Black
fountain pen ink cartridges (see No. 5 above), so it can be used with
watercolors. In fact, this brush pen containing PCB has replaced the twig-and-India-ink combo that made it onto
the list last year. While twigmaster Ch’ng Kiah Kieanis inspiring,trying
to wield a twig without his particular brand of magic is a formidable challenge.
Still, I love the rough, organic look of a twig mark. The brush pen gives me more
control than a twig while still imparting sketches with an appealing rustic line.
If the cartridge is running dry, I can even emulate KK’s signature dry-twig
look (without the magic, of course).

11/30/15 Zebra double-ended brush pen
and colored pencils

9. Zebra double-ended brush pen. The second dark horse on this year’s list, the Zebra double
brush pen is a relatively recent discovery that continues to delight with its
versatility. I first discovered it at life drawing, where it encouraged me to loosen up. Then in Japan, I found it to
be ideal for architecture, too – somehow it took away the intimidation I felt
when trying to sketch buildings with a fine nib pen. Its firm, spongy brush tip
(not hairs like the Kuretake above) gives me just enough additional control (compared
to the hairy brush), and having two tip sizes in one pen makes it all the more
versatile.10. *My Stefano
sketchbook system.There’s no doubt thatthis simple leather folder with elastic bands has liberated me from the restrictions
of store-bought sketchbooks. On my Top 10 since I got it, my versatile,
flexible and durable Stefano has been with me on four continents so far. You’ll
notice that this year I’ve included a “bare” signature of paper in the above photo,
too. That’s because this year I discovered even more flexibility about the “system”:
While the leather cover is essential when I’m sketching standing up or using
watercolors and need a stable support, many times I can get by with only a thin,
light signature of paper. When traveling, I’ve used the signature both ways –
with and without the supporting cover. At home, I now do the same thing: When
sketching outdoors (and probably standing), I use the cover; when sketching
indoors and seated, I use the signature alone. Either way, the system meets my
needs exactly.

My "Stefano" doing what it does best: supporting
my sketchbook signature when I sketch
on my feet.

Honorable mention:

Initially I was going to give Field Noteshonorable mentionfor finally putting a paper in its Workshop Companion edition that I found satisfactory for fountain pen sketches washed
lightly. It was as close as I have ever come to finding an ideal pocket-size
sketchbooklet. But being a limited edition, the source is finite and
unreliable, and I don’t even like the covers. I’ll probably keep looking for
the perfect pocket-size book for the rest of my life, but in the meantime, I’ll keep making my own.

Instead, I’m giving honorable mention to the Faber-Castell 9000 pencil sharpener that
I bought at Sekaido in Tokyo. I’ve
been looking far and wide for a portable pencil sharpener that can accommodate
my slightly-larger-circumference Caran d’Ache Museum colored pencils (see No. 6
above), and this is the first one that does it sufficiently (not beautifully,
mind you – just adequately). It gets bonus points for a sleek design that contains
its shavings. It might have made it onto the Top 10 – except it doesn’t sharpen
standard-size pencils well! I’m
holding out for a portable pencil sharpener that accommodates all my pencils. (Yes, I do sharpen with
a knife when I’m home. But I can’t carry a knife when I fly, and I’d rather not on the street, either.)

By the way, since I’d been having so much trouble finding a
sharpener to fit my Caran d’Ache pencils, it was logical to see if Caran d’Ache
made one, right? A little research uncovered one; its price is more than $150. I’ll pass on that. For now, I’m good
with the Faber-Castell 9000 that cost me the U.S. equivalent of a couple bucks
at Sekaido.